Kansas State no match for Oregon in Fiesta Bowl

Kansas State just couldn’t keep up with Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl

Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota runs for a second-half touchdown against Kansas State during the Fiesta Bowl Thursday.

By:Kellis RobinettThe Wichita Eagle, Published on Fri Jan 04 2013

GLENDALE, ARIZ.—Kansas State’s latest trip to the Fiesta Bowl will go down as its worst.

The Wildcats fell behind on the opening kickoff, made uncharacteristic mistakes at inopportune times and were never able to catch up to Oregon. The No. 5 Ducks won 35-17, with their high-powered offence taking control midway through the third quarter.

It was No. 7 K-State’s fifth consecutive bowl loss, and second defeat in the Fiesta Bowl. It beat Syracuse in its first trip and fell to Ohio State by a touchdown in 2004.

This game hardly resembled those games, though. If it could be compared to any of K-State’s recent outings, it would be a 52-24 loss to Baylor earlier this season.

Much like in that game, the Wildcats fell behind in the first half and their offence, built around runs and controlling the clock, was unable to play catch up.

Though they pulled to within 32-17 with 11:35 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard shovel pass from Collin Klein to Angelo Pease, they couldn’t get any closer. Their best opportunities to get back in the game came in the second quarter, when a disastrous series of plays shifted the momentum to Oregon for good.

After the Ducks raced to a 15-0 lead, the Wildcats fought back with some methodical drives of their own. Thanks to some nifty runs from backup running back Angelo Pease, who finished with 49 rushing yards on seven carries, and several catches by Chris Harper, who caught eight passes for 71 yards against his former team, the Wildcats marched into the end zone early in the second quarter.

That’s when Klein scrambled to his left and dove into the corner of the end zone for a six-yard score to pull K-State to within 15-7.

Then the Wildcats’ defence forced a quick punt, and K-State marched downfield for a 25-yard field goal from Anthony Cantele. Following another defensive stop, the Wildcats were in position to take their first lead.

They kept gaining yards in chunks and faced a fourth-and-1 at the Oregon 18. With 1 minute remaining in the half, the Wildcats lined up as if they were going to go for it, but it was obvious they were simply trying to bate the Ducks into an offside penalty that would secure a first down.

K-State uses that strategy on a regular basis, but it didn’t work this time. Senior left tackle Cornelius Lucas moved early and was hit with a false-start penalty that gave the Wildcats no chance of scoring a touchdown and moved a routine field goal attempt back to 40 yards. Cantele missed the kick wide left.

Still, things were looking up for K-State. It was set to receive the opening kickoff of the third quarter, and it was a one-score game. Then Oregon’s offence took the field and changed those dynamics.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota led the Ducks on a touchdown drive that lasted 46 seconds. The Ducks took a 22-10 lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kenjon Barner.

K-State was unable to score in the third quarter, and for a while it looked like it might suffer its worst bowl loss in program history. But that remains the 2006 Texas Bowl, which the Wildcats lost to Rutgers 37-10.

It was obvious the Wildcats might be in for a bad day from the get-go.

The game couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start for them.

On the opening kickoff, De’Anthony Thomas, who scored twice, fielded a kick near the sideline, and found nothing but open space when he cut up field. The sophomore speedster raced 94 yards untouched to give the Ducks an early lead.

Then, Oregon surprisingly went for two out of a strange formation and got it when Dion Jordan, a defensive end, found the end zone. Just like that, the Ducks were ahead 8-0 just 12 seconds in.

Oregon, which is undefeated under coach Chip Kelly when leading at halftime, is at its best when it takes an early lead and its offence finds a rhythm. It found one soon after K-State was unable to get anything out of its first two drives. The Wildcats turned the ball over on downs near midfield on their first drive, forced Oregon to punt and then punted themselves. But then Marcus Mariota lofted a pass to Thomas on a bubble screen, and he carried K-State defenders into the end zone, giving the Ducks a 15-0 lead with 3:46 remaining in the first quarter.

On a night K-State fans would like to forget, it was an omen of things to come.

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